Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

Established in 1994, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) is an environmental advocacy and education organization with more than 9,700 members dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River Basin - the drinking water source for five million people. CRK's mission is to advocate for and secure the protection and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River, its lakes, tirbutaries, and watershed, in order to restore and preserve its ecological health for the people and wildlife that depend on the river system. It is the only environmental organization solely dedicated to the protection of the Chattahoochee River. 

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Trout Unlimited - New Mexico

The Turner Foundation has enabled Trout Unlimited (TU), The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, and other partners to develop the New Mexico Freshwater Roadmap, a comprehensive vision for management, governance, and restoration of watersheds to address New Mexico's future water security challenges. 

In addition to the Roadmap, TU has focused on headwater regions, including a partnership between TU, the San Diego and Cebolla/San Antonio Grazing Associations, and the Santa Fe National Forest to mitigate water allotment restrictions due to the presence of the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse. This partnership has implemented grazing management and infrastructure improvements including fencing, upland drinkers and wells, and stream restoration, with the goal of improving the function of the Rio Cebolla watershed to the benefit of ecosystems and human water needs. 

As this partnership continues to develop, TU expects that further watershed improvements will boost range productivity, fish and riparian habitat, and upland water storage. In this era of climate disruption, headwater capture of peak flows - from snowmelt and monsoon rains - becomes increasingly important for drought mitigation and for prolonging stream baseflows critical to ecological and human communities. 

Importantly, such partnerships stress the critical importance of traditional rural communities in addressing overall water security. 

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Finding the Flint

Georgia's Flint River provides water to hundreds of thousands of people, is home to rare and endangered species, and is one of the few rivers in the nation to flow undammed for more than 200 miles. It is a critical water source for metro Atlanta communities and the heart of the farm belt of southwest Georgia. The source of the Flint River is in the Tri-Cities (East Point, College Park and Hapeville) area of Atlanta's south side, and its headwaters flow in, around and underneath the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest airport. The Finding the Flint collaborative is working to reveal and restore the Flint River's urban headwaters, using green infrastructure to improve river health, reconnnect communities to their headwaters, and provide community and environmental benefits as redevelopment takes place in the airport area. The FTF core team consists of American Rivers, The Conservation Fund, the Atlanta Regional Commission and ECO-Action.

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Captains for Clean Water

Captains For Clean Water is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to protecting Florida’s most valuable resource: Water. Decades of poor water management practices have devastated estuaries and water quality across the state, sustained by lack of public awareness and political will. Through efforts focused on awareness, education, and advocacy, Captains For Clean Water fights to ensure science-based solutions to water quality issues are implemented by policymakers. They have rallied the outdoor industry to the frontlines, uniting them with conservation groups, communities, and key governmental agencies to effectively raise awareness and advance Everglades restoration progress at state and federal levels. Captains For Clean Water has mobilized thousands of their supporters to hold elected officials accountable, attributing to the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 being signed into law, the authorization of the EAA Reservoir, and securing the largest amount of funding for Everglades restoration and water resource projects in state history—more than $680 million dollars.

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Audubon New Mexico

Audubon New Mexico successfully won a decade-long argument with the state that allows for recognizing water for nature as a legal use of water rights. This is a milestone for
New Mexican rivers and farmers, as it for the first time gives private water-right holders
the option to lease or sell their water when they do not want or need it to increase,
improve, and sustain water flows in rivers and streams for fish and wildlife. The decision is
critically important because most water flowing through New Mexico’s major rivers, such
as the Rio Grande, is over-allocated. This permit will not just protect a small section of the
Rio Gallinas, but it also sets a legal precedent that can be applied statewide. Audubon will move forward with several pilots this year to lease water for environmental water uses to demonstrate this opportunity on the Middle Rio Grande.

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